A Multiple Stressor Model of Climate Change Effects on Growth and Survival of Larval Crassostrea gigas

Abstract

Ocean acidification and accompanying climate stressors have been linked to decline in Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) populations in the Pacific Northwest. This trend is likely to continue and even amplify with continued emissions of anthropogenic CO2. In this study, C. gigas growth and survival models are developed, using data collected from the existing literature, to assess the interacting effects of multiple climate stressors— temperature, salinity, and pH—on larval growth and survival and to project the response of the Pacific oyster to increased CO2 emissions. Using climate data from GFDL CM2.6 climate model, this growth model predicted a small (statistically insignificant) drop in larval growth rate, a result of the conflicting effects temperature and pH. When isolated, temperature increases led to growth rate increases, while projected pH decreases resulted in reduced growth rate. A statistically significant decrease in larval survival, associated with abnormal shell calcification, was also projected in the future scenario. This was a result of a projected drop in aragonite saturation state.